How to go from art to sciences?
January 18, 2012 1:19 PM   Subscribe

How do I go about changing my life/major/degree in a foreign country? (Bonus: I'm not fluent in the language spoken in this country)

Background:

I am a female, in my mid twenties, who has - about an year ago - moved to live with her partner in the Netherlands. I originally come from Portugal and I really do like it up here, especially with the current economical climate back there, so that returning is really not an option. I was very lucky to have both my partner's and my parents support with the move and have been trying hard to get a job/move on with my life. Either way, I count myself as incredibly fortunate. Now, I am also a bit of a "failure" regarding school, and although I'm trying to work hard to overcome that, I can't help but feel I am failing in that area.

Although I'm not a hundred percent sure of the right terms, if anyone is aware of the schooling system in Portugal, then they'll know that when one comes up to secondary school, (the 10th, 11th and 12th years) they have to pick a 'major' (out of four, as far as I can remember anyway?), and well, I've always been an extremely indecisive person. I started by picking Science and Technologies, only to drop after an year and move to Arts in a different high school.

From there, I 'hopped around' and wound up doing 2/3 (and a half) years of College in Multimedia, from where I dropped out because the course was causing me to be increasingly depressed (as diagnosed by a Psychiatrist. I was on medication for a couple months around the end of my second year) and maybe that helped me realize it was really not my calling.

After that I moved to the Netherlands and, due to parental pressure, I swiftly enrolled in another course, which looking back was a terrible decision if one considers I actually hated it (It was Liberal Arts & Sciences) and it caused me to feel increasingly sick and stressed until I, once again, dropped out. I actually lasted only 1 month in this course and am very ashamed I even applied in the first place.

Question:

I am, once again on the lookout for a degree that will help me finish my schooling, and have considered a few different ones within the general world of arts, but I can't help thinking that maybe, art is not what I should be doing in the professional world. Whereas I absolutely do love drawing/sketching/painting, I have started to realize that maybe I wouldn't enjoy doing this as much if I had to do it as a job.

There's this little flame that's been growing in my heart, this idea I can't just shake away, that maybe I should try for one of my childhood dreams: Veterinary medicine. I have always loved animals, and do now more than never since I have quite a few to take care of. There's also many around here (tiny town with tons of livestock/farm animals) so I don't think another vet would be a bad thing, especially since there's no emergency vet at all.

My question is... is this even possible? I haven't had a science-related class since I was 14. If it is, how should I go about actually giving it a try?

I am fluent in Portuguese, English (got 115/120 in the TOEFL test) and to a lesser degree Spanish, but I am definitely not very good at Dutch (I just don't understand it very well at all, I've always had trouble grasping new languages and I've only learned English because of 10 years of classes + the internet). I am willing to change that, but it might not be doable if I intend to start the course next August.
posted by Trexsock to Education (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Anything is possible in a foreign country when you have a support network (and a visa).

If you want to be a vet, first you need to create a "road map" of all the things that need to happen, and how much time it will take to make them happen.

If you can speak and read and write English, surely you can learn Dutch. I would argue that if you are ever going to be truly happy in your new home (the Netherlands), you *must* become fluent in the language, because becoming fluent means becoming engaged in everyday life. Becoming fluent also means achieving a greater understanding of your host country.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:10 PM on January 18, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best answer: As far as I know, the only place to study veterinary medicine in the Netherlands is the University of Utrecht - here's a link to the faculty website. It's a Dutch language programme, so you'll first need to pass the “Dutch as 2nd Language program II” exam, (Staatsexamen Nederlands als Tweede Taal, programma II). I've done this; the level they require is advanced but not impossible. You'll get there if you're motivated enough (but probably not yet by August).

As far as the admission is concerned, you should contact the faculty to find out more. According to the website, that would be Afdeling Onderwijs- en Studentenzaken van de faculteit Diergeneeskunde, tel. (030) 253 14 43, e-mailadres: osz.vet@uu.nl. I think you may need to take some kind of extra courses if you have no Science in your high school diploma and haven't studied any afterwards either.

Veterinary medicine seems to be a numerus fixus programme, meaning it only allows some 200+ new students in every year (and I bet there are quite a few applicants), and it looks like they're (mostly) chosen by lottery. So you'll be looking at some intense language courses, an evaluation of your diploma and possibly extra exams to qualify for the lottery, and you still may need a bit of luck to make the final cut. I'd still say go for it, if it is what you really dream of. You'll just need to play the long game. Maybe have a plan B. for while you're waiting for admission, because it looks like it might take a few years. PS. why not volunteer for the Animal Protection (Dierenbescherming) if you want to feel useful in the meantime?

Boa sorte e força!
posted by sively at 2:29 PM on January 18, 2012


Best answer: On another note, if you don't want to be in school so long, you could check out therapy animals. Its still working with animals and probably doesn't require as much schooling. My elementary school has a Reading With Dogs program, they bring in dogs to listen to kids read. Apparently, it makes the kids more confident and eager to read. Even in college, they bring in dogs for us to play with during finals to reduce stress. So, if you are interested in working with animals, there are many other routes besides medicine. (: (Additionally, if you hold a Dutch passport/visa whatevs, you can consider Aruba, north of South America for future living or job prospects)
posted by fuzzysoft at 2:48 PM on January 18, 2012


Response by poster: Thank you all for the replies.

I have been browsing through the Utretch University website and I can't help but catch myself wondering if working towards taking this course would be a good move at all. According to their admission requirements, I would need to have a high school diploma including some biology classes/grades, which I absolutely do not (as I mentioned, my entire high school curriculum is in the arts area). So, although I have no idea what I'd need exactly to achieve this, one thing I do know: by the end of the veterinary degree I'd be in my early to mid thirties. At least 1-2 years to become fluent in Dutch, plus at least 6 years of schooling = 10 years already.

Which is not really decent, especially not for someone who'd have no work experience by then.

Out of every international (English spoken) course in the Netherlands, most, if not all of them exist within the area of arts/liberal arts, which is somewhat down putting.
posted by Trexsock at 11:57 PM on January 18, 2012


Becoming a veterinary doctor isn't your only option for working with animals. I imagine that just as vets in the U.S. have vet assistants (a bit the equivalent of a registered nurse?), there must be a similar role in The Netherlands that requires much less training and would be more accessible. You might look and see if that's a more feasible option. In the mean time, you might be able to volunteer at an animal rescue organization to see how you like that world and get something on your resume that counts as related experience?

I'm working on settling in in a new place and learning a new language myself. It can be hard at times--so best of luck to you!
posted by mvd at 8:09 AM on January 19, 2012


Well, every journey starts with the first step, right? Take a couple of years to learn Dutch. In the meantime, figure out what you want to do.

Learning languages - that is, seriously learning a language, as opposed to doing it as a hobby - is transformative, and will expose you to possibilities you can't even imagine right now.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:38 AM on January 19, 2012


« Older Help counting products to ship?   |   Book ideas for my young nieces and nephews. Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.